Multiple door construction



1935- c. G. JOHNSON ET AL MULTIPLE DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 4, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR$ C/ane ce 6%50 Zref/ CT neg 9216f ATTORNEYS Dec. 31, 1935. Q q JOHNSON ET AL 2,026,091

MULTIPLE DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. '4, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 .ATT ORNEYS 1935- c. G. JOHNSON ET AL MULTIPLE DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 4, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 ill/17 1717:

III/I r INVENTOR; C/are ce G Jf A50 BY Zrer/ CIB/acer ATTORNEYS Dec. 31, 1935. c. G. JOHNSON ET AL MULTIPLE DOOR CONSTRUCTION 4 Sheets-Sheet. 4

Filed Aug. 4, 1931 C/arefc 'e 6. Z erer ATTORNEY$ may be lowered. In,.other words, the lowering Patented Deck 31, 1935 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MULTIPLE DOOR CONSTRUCTION of Indiana Application August 4, 1931, Serial No. 555,109

14 Claims.' (01. 20-20) The present invention pertains to a novel door construction wherein a wide door opening is provided with two or more mutually adjacent doors of the type which are opened by raising. In such a construction it is evident that a vertical guide means between the doors is necessary.

The principal object of the invention is to provide, in such a construction, eflicient means for removing the intermediate guide means entirely out of the door opening so that the latter may be entirely cleared. Obviously, either door may be opened separately when it alone provides sumcient clearance for the particular purpose at hand. The intermediate guide means and the adjacent doors are lifted only when a clear opening having a width greater than one door is desired.

The intermediate door guiding means is inthe nature of a mullion carrying rails for guiding the immediately adjacent edges of the adjacent doors. The equipment for moving the mullion out of the door opening includes a horizontal track extending inwardly from the door opening at a point near the upper end of the mullion when the latter is disposed in the door opening. A carriage rides on the track and has a hinge connection to the upper end of themullion, and suitable manual or power means is provided for propelling the carriage on the track and for drawing a cable which is connected to the lower end of the mullion, whereby the latter is guided in a substantially vertical path while the upper end is shifted horizontally. The upper and lower ends of the mullion travel at varying and unequal speeds at difl'erent times, and accordingly the power devices 7 must be constructed to run at corresponding rates.

In keeping with this necessity, the power devices are equipped with yielding friction clutches, so that the devices may be initially geared together and driven from a single motor but at the same time permitted to slip in order not to overrun the speeds of the respective ends of the mullion on which they operate.

The invention further includes an automatic safety stop device which prevents the doors from dropping to closed position after they have been raised... The stop device is rendered inoperative on lowering of the mullion, after which the doors of themullion is apre-r'equisite to the closing of the doors, either intentionally or accidentally.

,The invention is fully disclosed by way of ex,. ample in the iollowing description and in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an inside elevation of a. door constructed according to the invention;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a section in the same plane'as Figure 2, showing the door in open position;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Figure 1; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-.5 of Figure 1; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Figure 3; Fig. 7 is a section on the line of Figure 1; Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8--8 of Figure 2; Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail of Figure 7; and Fig. 10 is a section on the line Ill-l0 of Figure 9.

Reference to these views will now be made by use of like characters which are employed to designate corresponding parts throughout.

In Figure 1 is illustrated a door frame structure I of such width as to require two separate doors, each of which is of suflicient width to permit an automobile or truck to pass. ables the clearing of the entire door opening from side to side so that an opening of double standard width may be provided if desired or necessary. Accordingly, there is provided a centralpost or mullion 2 of flanged channel cross section adapted to occupy a vertical position in the center of the doorway, as shown in Figure 1 andmounted in such a manner to be swung out of the doorway by the means presently to be described.

At the sides of the doorway are mounted rails comprising each a substantially vertical section 3 and a horizontal section 4 extending rearwardly from the upper end of the vertical section. .Directly over the post or mullion -2 is provided a fixed header bracket 5 which .forms a split joint 6 with the mullion when the latter-is in vertical, position. At the mullion, horizontal rail sections 1 having downwardly curved'forward ends 8 extend rearwardly or inwardly from the header bracket 5 in substantially parallel relation to the sections 4 and may be supported, for example,

by the header bracket atthe forward end and by hangers 9 at the rear end. A straight. vertical track In lies below thelrail' sections 1 to serve a purpose which will presently bedescribed, and

is supported, for example, at one end by hangers I l suspended from the sections 1 and at theother end by extensions 9" of the members '9. H t

The support for the mullion 2,.comprises a car-1 riage l2 riding on thetr'ack l0 and having a depending hinge arm l3 ha'ving. its lower end i4 pivotally attached :to. a. complementary hinge bracket carried by'the upper edgefof the mul 7 lion. The. vertical position off the m'ulli ri i termined by the reception'of the lower'end there'- of between forward and rear stops l6 and I1 re-' spectivcly at the floor and by the closing of the- The invention en- "vertical sections 3 and adapted to communicate split joint 6 at the upper end. The mullion carries substantially vertical rails l8 similar to the posed a door consisting of superimposedpanels l9 joined together by hinges 20 on horizontal axes. Thehinges are disposed at the ends of the panels and carry frollers 2l'riding in the vertical rail sections.

Each door is counterbalanced by a pair of coil springs 22 extending horizontally inward of the building structure and having their rear ends secured to the hangers 9. The forward ends carry pulleys 23. Idler pulleys 24 are mounted on the fixed door structure and are engaged by cables 25 secured respectively to the lower corners of the door, passing over the alined pulleys 24 and 23 and finally secured as at 26 to the fixed frame structure.

Either door may be opened by lifting it upwardly until it is supported entirely on the hori 'zontal part of its track. In order, to clear the entire door opening. both doors are first raised 'in this manner, and may be actuated manually because of the counterbalancing springs 22.

The mullion 2, carrying the separate rail sections l8 may now have its upper end moved rearwardly on the track I0, either manually or mechanically, and the lower end also raised to-approximately the height of the track ID by the time the carriage 2 has reached its rearward posi tion, whereby'the mullion and associated rail sections are transferred entirely out of the door opening and to the position shown in Figure .3.

The means for eifecting this movement of the mullion includes plates 21 at the rear end of the track ID with a pair of parallel shafts 28 and 29 journalled therein as shown more clearly in Figure 8. A reversible electric motor 38 is disposed adjacent the shaft 28 and is geared to a pulley 3| on the shaft by means of a belt 32. Obviously the shaft may be propelled manually if desired.

The shafts 28 and 29 carry spur gears 33 and 34 respectively keyed thereto and in mesh with each other.- Adjacent the gears, the shafts carry sprocket wheels 35 and 36 respectively,with

the friction disks 3T inserted between each spur gear and the adjacent sprocket wheel. The spur gears are held-under pressure against the friction material and the gears by springs 38 surbracket 5 and carry an idler pulley 43 disposed 'above the mullion when in closed position and also substantially in line with the sprocket 35. A sprocket chain 44 is passed over the sprocket 35, carrying at one end a counterweight 45 and having its forward end attached to a cable 46 which passes over the pulley 43 and has its other end attached to a bracket 41 at the lower end of the mullion as may be seen in Figure 2, Thus, when the sprocket 35 is actuated, the lower end of the mullion is raised as the upper end thereof is drawn rearwardly through th action of the sprocket 36 and chain 4| as already stated. In order to determine a definite path for the mullion in moving from the vertical to a horizontal posi- 5 tion, a link 48 has its upper end pivoted at 49 to the brackets 42 and its lower end pivoted to a bracket 50 at substantially thennidpoint of the 'nullion.

As the mullion moves from the position shown in Figure 2 to that shown in Figure 3, it will be ,evident that the respective velocities of the upper and lower ends are not always equal. Therefore, a direct drive between the shafts 28 and 29 would be seriously defective, and for this reason the drive between the spur gears 33 and 34' and their respective sprockets 35 and 36 is of frictional nature, permitting slippage as the speeds of the chains 4| and 42 vary. Obviously, the mullion is lowered by operatingv the motor 3| in 20 the reverse direction.

When operated manually, the mullio'n is locked in vertical position, as shown in Figure 9, by means of a bolt 5| slidably mounted in a housing 52 at the upper end of the mullion and moved 25 by a spring 53 into anotch'54 cut in the lower end of the bracket 5. The bolt is released from the bracket 5, prior, to-the lifting movement of the mullion, by pulling on a chain'54 depending from the bolt and passing through a slot 30 I 55 in the inner side of the mullion. The lower end of the mullion is located by the stops ,|6 and I1, as already indicated. The upper end. after closing the split joint 6, is positioned laterally by brackets or lugs 55 depending from the 35 header bracket 5, as shown more clearly in Figs. 7 and 9.

the base corners of the channel bracket 5. are secured pivot brackets 51 slightly above the lower end of the bracket. To these members 40 are pivotally attached segmental stop members 58 adapted to swing into slots 59 in the sides of the bracket 5. Springs 60 connecting the stop members to the bracket tend to move the 3 stop members through the slotsor against the 45 adjacent vertical rail sections l8 carried by the mullion as shown in Figure 10. Thus, when these rail sections .are swung with the mullion to a horizontal position, they disengage the stops 58, whereupon the latter move into the downward'50 path of the rails l8 and corresponding rollers 2| and prevent the doors from falling. When, however, it is desired to lower the doors, the mullion is first returned to its vertical position. In so moving, the rails l8 carn'ed by the mullion have 55 a cam action against the outer edges of the stops 58, returning them to the position shown .in

Figure 10, whereupon the, doors may be returned to closed'position. In other words, the doors can not be closed until the mullion has been returned 60 to vertical position.

Although a specific embodiment of the invention has been illustrated and described, it will be understood that various alterations in the details of construction may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as indicated by the appended claims.

What we claimisz- 1. In a door structure having a door opening, a mullion adapted to divide said opening, means for moving said mullion out of said opening, a fixed member over said mullion, fixed rails terminating-at said member, doorsat opposite sides of said mullion and having rollers adapted to ride in said rails, stops carried by said fixed member and adapted normally to project into the path of said rollers, cooperating rails comprised in said mullion and adapted to aline with the first named rails when the mullion is in the opening, said stops being engaged by a part of said mullion to retract said stops from the path of said rollers, on moving the mullion into said opening.

2. In a door structure having a door opening, a mullion adapted to divide said opening, means for moving said mullion out of said opening, .a fixed member over said mullion, fixed rails terminating at said member, doors at opposite sides of said mullion and having rollers adapted to ride in said rails, stops carried by said fixed member and adapted normally to project into the path of said rollers, cooperating rails carried by the mullion and adapted to aline with 'the' first named rails when the mullion is in the opening, said stops being engageable by said operating rails to retract the stops from the path of said rollers, on moving said mullion into said opening.

3. In a door structure having adoor opening, a mullion adapted to divide said opening, means for moving said mullion out of said opening, a fixed member over said mullion, fixed rails ter-. minating at said member, doors.at opposite sides of said mullionfand having rollers adapted to ride in said rails, stops carried by said fixed member and adapted normally to project into the path of said rollers, cooperating rails comprised in said mullion and adapted to alinewith the first named rails when the mullion-is in the open- .ing, said stops beingengaged by a part of said mullion to retract said stops from the path oi said rollers, on moving the mullion into said opening, and a spring latch adapted to lock said mullion to said fixed member when said mullion is in said opening.

4. In a door structure having a door opening, a mullion adapted to divide said opening, means for guiding and moving the upper end'of said mullion inwardly from said opening, doors in said opening at opposite sides of said mullion, substantially vertical guiding means for said door in said mullion, and substantially horizontal guiding means for said door supported by said structure and communicating with the vertical guiding means at the upper ends thereof;

5. In a door structure having a door opening, a mullion adapted to divide said opening, u de members mounted on said mullion, guide members mounted on said door structure above said opening and registering with the guides on said mullion, doors having means extending into the guides on said mullion and adapted to be moved into the guides above said opening, means for guiding and moving the upper end of said mullion inwardly from said opening, and means for,

guiding the lowerend of said mullion in a substantially vertical line.

-- members mounted on said mullion, guide members mounted on said door structure above said opening and registering with the guides on said mullion, doors having means extending into the guides on said mullion and adapted to be moved into the guides above said opening, means for guiding and moving the upper and 015 said mullion inwardly from said opening, and means for lifting thelower end of said mullion.

'7. In a door structure having a door opening. a mullion adapted to divide said opening, guide members mounted on said mullion, guide mem-' bers mounted on said door structure above said opening and registering with the guides on said mullion, doors having means extending into the guides on said mullion and'adapted to be moved into the guides above saidopening, means for guiding and moving the upper end of said mullion inwardly from said opening, means for lift ing the lower end of said mulFion, and friction clutches in. both of said last two mentioned 10.

means.

8. In a door structure having a door opening, a mullion adapted to divide said opening, guide members mounted on said mullion, guide mem- .bers mounted on said door structure above said 1 opening and registering with the guides on said mullion, doors having means extending into the guides on said mullion and adapted to be moved into the guides above said opening, means for guiding and moving the upper end of said mullion inwardly from said opening, means for lifting the lower end of said mullion, friction clutches in both of said last two mentioned means, said last two mentioned means being geared together,

and a power device for driving one of said means. 9. In a door structure having -a door opening,

a mullion adapted. to divide said opening, guide members mounted on said mullion, guide members mounted on said door structure abovesaid opening and registering with the guides on said mullion, doors having means extending into the guides on said mullion and adapted to be moved. into the guides above said opening, a horizontal track over said mullion, a carriage riding on said track and hinged to the upper endoi' said mullion, means for propelling said carriage on said track, and means for guiding the lower end of said mullion in a substantially vertical line. 11. In a door structure having a door opening, a mullion adapted to divide said opening, guide members mounted on said mullion, guide members mounted on said door structure above said opening and registering with the guides on said mullion, doors having means extending into the guides on said-mullion and adapted to bemoved 'into the guides above said opening, a horizontal track over said mullion, a carriage riding on said track and hinged to the upper end of said mullion, meansfor propelling said carriage on said track, and means for lifting the lower end oi. 'said mullion.

12. In a doorstructurehaving a door opening, a'mullion adapted to divide said opening, guide members mounted. on said mullion, guide members n punted on said door structure above said opening and registering with the guides on said .mullion, doors havingmeans extending into the guides on said mullion and adapted to be moved into the guides above said opening, means for ticulated to said mullion and to said structure at a point above said mullion.

13. In a door structure having a door opening, a mullion adapted to divide said opening, guide members mounted on said mulllon, guide members mounted on said door structure above said opening and registering with the guides on said mullion, doors having means extending into the guides on said mullion and adapted to be moved into the guides above said opening, a horizontal track over said mullion, a carriage riding on said track and hingedto the upper end of said mullion, means for propelling said carriage on said track, means for lifting the lower end 01' said mulable. into an inoperative position, means for removably supporting said member in normal positlon, a horizontal member associated with the upper end of said first mentioned member and extending inwardly from said opening, pairs of tracks carried by said wall and said members, a door slidable in each pair of tracks and adapted to close and open the adiacent passage, and means for movably supporting said first mentioned member when disengaged from its supporting means for movement to and from its inoperative position, said means comprising a device movable on said horizontal member and connected to the upper end or said first mentioned member and means connected to the lower end oi! said first 15 CLARENCE G. JOHNSON. HERBERT C. BLODGETT. 

